Have you ever wondered why people just don’t get vision? your?
Before you jump to the conclusion that graphic designers are people who don’t understand your project, we recommend doing a simple exercise. It takes a maximum of 7 minutes and we assure you that it will solve 80% of its communication problems with the agency you have just invested with the responsibility of managing your project.
Our exercise will answer the most important questions a graphic designer has and is called, in official terms, a brief. But we don’t want to get hung up on terms… what’s important is to understand the role of this tool and its benefits to the client-agency relationship.
If you’re ready, we can begin:
What do I want from this project? What do I want it to change or highlight in the work of my organization? We all have a vision of what we want to achieve at the end of the project, but few manage to communicate their goals to the graphic designer. It is important for us to know what feeling you will want to get from the audience when they see the advertisement or product design we are working on.
The preferred colors for this project are… You should know that the graphics of a product is influenced in a proportion of 60% by colors. The color palette is what sets the tone for the feelings and emotions that the graphic product will generate. The remaining 40% is divided between photos, fonts and slogan. Now that we know how important they are, think about the colors that already define your organization’s identity (like your logo) or the ones that define your new product. We have many things to say here but we will return with them in another material.
Are the graphics for the online environment or for print? Now is the time to understand us too! The differences between online and offline graphic products are very large. To cut the theory short, let’s say we work very hard to turn a website graphic into a printed poster or flyer. This is quantified in hours of work paid for by you, the customer, so you may be interested. Think from the beginning what types of materials you want to get and convey this information to the graphic designer.
Do you have a text for these materials? The graphic form of a project is an important element, but it comes in addition to some text messages. The length and tone in which they are written will help us give the best graphic solution.
Do you have examples of similar projects that you take as a reference? Originality is every graphic designer’s dream, but we want to know if we could relate to something you really like. Take 10 minutes to look at other sites and give us some examples of brands that have a graphic format that you feel comfortable with. It doesn’t have to be competition. In fact, it would be better if there were no competition.
What is the project budget? Since you are in the stage of asking for offers you probably do not know what the exact budget of the project should be. It would still be useful to communicate whether the project is premium or medium-low. These details are reflected in the type of materials used for printing or the creation of atypical molds for your project. An order of magnitude of project scope is recommended to exist. The difference between “I will print to the printer” and “I want embossed graphics” could also be reflected in the overall graphic concept.
What is the execution time? The duration of a project is an important element for a graphic designer. Therefore, the project deadline is necessary in the transmission of information to any future partner. If you want to get very good results, avoid the pressure of “I need it yesterday” or “as soon as possible”. Realistic terms will help us all communicate effectively.
Now everything is simple.
Your answers can be put into a document called a BRIEF and will be sent to the agency, along with the contact details of the client and the person who is assigned to answer further questions about this project.